I’m going to reply to both newer comments and some older ones again (basically ones that I wanted to include in my first post but I thought to myself, “What if you accidentally close the tab and lose everything you wrote?”). So yeah, another big comment is coming. So big that I’m gonna seperate it in two parts.
@Scrabbleman
I couldn’t help it. I was skimming through the pages and I found some really interesting discussions. I didn’t know Muhammad had dogs either. That’s really fascinating. I loved that he respected them that much.
I can’t necessarily blame you for fearing dogs for that reason though. Some of them do leave some pretty nasty bites, especially the bigger ones (bigger mouths equal bigger wounds). Cats and smaller dogs can leave nasty bites too but they’re nowhere near as bad compared to big dogs with powerful bite forces. The most you have to fear with them is getting an infection (some of which are easily treatable with antibiotics). Big dogs’ bites can break your bones, make you bleed out, or even kill you.
@icey wicey 1517
I recall mentioning prayer in the Positive Venting Thread once and I did bring it up to someone that goes to your Discord sever but I’m not sure if I have brought it up to you directly. If I did, I think I might have forgotten. I brought it up in
this thread recently so you probably saw my comment there. You haven’t told me directly but I read in this thread that you’re an atheist.
I’m glad too. I wasn’t always this way. It took a while to shake off some of the bad habits involving homophobia that my family put onto me but within time, I learned from other people on how to be a better and more accepting person towards people and I’m very thankful for that.
And it’s nice that you have such a wide variety of friends with different views like that. I’m really happy for you. I’m sorry that your friend was discriminated though.
@Poni-namous
Having spent the time to read through this thread I was delighted to read some very thoughtful and thought provoking posts regarding this often touchy subject.
Still, I’m left with an over-all impression that there seem to be many here who feel that religion is some kind of external thing whos adherants are to be viewed and, as is the case of the WBS, judged and condemned for perceived evil actions. If I’m wrong about this I’ll be more than happy to take correction.
Still, this whole discussion begs the question: “What is religion?
Now, granted, I can’t speak for anyone else or for any particular religion as a whole because each individual’s experience is different so I can only speak from my own experiences.
First, I’ll say flatly and outright that I am a practicing Christian. What does that mean, exactly?
For me, Christianity has been, more than anything, a dynamic, internal transformative process.
In other words, taking those lessons of Principles that I’ve learned and embracing them, internalizing them and working to make them a part of myself.
That process has also involved the establishment, development and growth of a rigorous personal honesty by and through which I could and can examine myself without pretention, without sugar-coating and, even as painful as much of it has been, to accept and embrace exactly who and what I am as a person and as a human being inside and to change those things I can and to accept those things I cannot.
Yes, it’s true there are many so-called christians who, by their own actions, prove themselves to be vile and even despicable. But, then, this can be said of many people whether they practice a religion or not.
In my opinion those who say they’re Christian but prove themselves to be anything but are, in my mind, Christian in outward appearance, only. (Beware the wolf in sheep’s clothing lest ye be devoured.)
Even Jesus warned of these and warned His followers to avoid being like them.
What I’ve always found downright incredible, even unbelievable, are those Christians who, having accepted the faith, never even once cracked open a Bible and read it.
To my way of thinking this is like someone who says they’re going to be a computer tech but they don’t go to school, they never crack open a book or study the subject yet they say they are. That just doesn’t make any sense.
uc9, you spoke of having some very negative experiences with a particularly crazy and very judgemental church. I’m sorry you experienced that. That’s something no one should ever have to go through.
Still, you say you’re an ex Christian. Yet, I honestly feel that, if you still hold dear to the principles and ideals of that faith and continued to practice them in your daily life then I have to ask: how did you stop becoming a Christian if you’re still practicing the things you learned?
Personally I don’t like churches! Sorry, but I don’t! My reason for that is simple: I don’t follow a man (preacher, pastor), I do my best to live by the principles I’ve learned and embraced.
Also, in my almost sixty years of life I have seen some outrageous preachers/teachers who, in their sermons, have taught things to their congregations which simply aren’t in the Bible but were merely “based on valid bible teachings”. Uh, what?!
Then there’s Feel-Good Churchianity: Those churches who teach nothing but are simply there so that their followers can go on Sundays so they can get rid of their guilt for all the horrible crap they may have done the previous week. Ick! (Note that I’m not being judgemental but that I’m stating observations as I have witnessed them which, unfortunately, is very close to opinion so I’ll leave it at that.)
Pray with unwavering faith.
Be faithful
Remain steadfast in those Principles that I’ve learned
Love one another as you would love yourselves.
Be wise as serpants but gentle as doves. (To the ancient hebrews the serpant was a symbol of great wisdom. Also, imo, God never said we shouldn’t think or question but that we should question everything because that’s how we find truth.)
Give unto all who have need and count not the cost.
Feed the hungry
Clothe the naked
Visit and give comfort to those who are sick
Comfort the widow, for her grief is great.
Be thoughtful of one another
Be honest (To me, honesty is like a surgeons’s scalpel: The initial cut my hurt but the wound will heal well whereas lies are like jagged, broken glass: It will cut deep and the scar may be ugly and cause permanent harm.)
Judge not lest ye be judged. For as ye meter so shall ye be metered.
As ye do unto others so shall it be done unto you. (Yes! Jesus knew about Karma!)
Do not kill
Do not steal
But most of all
Love one another as I have loved you.
To me it’s all very clear that, as long as I’m practicing these Principles daily then I’m fulfilling what I’ve learned and what’s required of me in my faith.
Please understand that I’m not saying that any of you should or must practice these Principles (Many of you probably already are), I’m just saying this is what I do on a daily basis as is according to what I feel is right for me.
Has/does it make my life better? Am I a better person for it?
Compared to what I once was and how I lived my life then, to that, I have to give a resounding yes!
Finally, and this is something that Trashboat said, yesterday and which I agree with: “The only real sin is to harm another person”. Still, I feel the need to amend it a bit to say, “The only real sin is to harm others or yourself.”
Well, that’s my thoughts on the subject. Please accept them in the spirit of love in which I gave them.
Thought provoking indeed, but I wouldn’t call what we do here thoughtful. I warn you though, we burn a hot flame in here, as you’ve probably seen.
I’m assuming you’ve seen some of my earlier posts, the ones where I recount the tales of being a Pagan in the bible belt. Where many a self-proclaimed Christian has told me that I’m a hell-bound monster who should probably just kill himself? Not from WBB kind of guys mind you, just your average, god-fearing Christians. You should have seen the outpouring of Christian “love” when I came out as bi, was really feeling the holiness with that one. Especially when my ex-boyfriend wanted to kill himself from all that “love” coming his way. How about the same Christians that lobbied to strip away my, and my fellows rights by trying to bar us from having a Pagan festival, or the ones that flat out refused to grant religious protections to us as was the case where a Heathen airman was denied having the hammer of Thor on his tomb-stone at Arlington after his untimely death in Afghanistan. You say that these people aren’t true Christians, but I’ve encountered a whole metric fuckton of them in my years, and they all claim to be together. So you’ve either got a case of “no true Scotsmen” or there are two separate kinds of Christians. So pardon me if I have a hard time accepting a lot of that, call me jaded if you will, but I’ve seen enough to make me wary of ever letting my guard down against Christianity.
It just seems to me that Christianity has a cancer in it, that while not representative of the whole body, is systemic and dangerous. A lot of the people that fall into that category are in positions of power, capable of snatching the rights from others. Many are well meaning, but many are not, and it’s disingenuous to assume that they’re just not doing it right, because it cleans the hands of the others who can just go “Well they just aren’t really Christians”, allowing them to sweep it under the rug. The real Christians need to start clearing out these guys, they’re dragging ya’lls image down.
